This book on the media, culture and tourism provides insights into a transcultural and interdisciplinary research field. Its comprehensive cultural perspective brings together intertwining aspects of the production and consumption of the media, leisure time and tourism as pivotal elements of culture and lifestyles in modern industrialised societies. Raymond Williams'concept of ‘mobile privatisation', launched in 1974, is equally valid today. Together with leisure time institutions like cinemas, television and amusement arcades, the right to take holidays has fostered new cultural patterns and generated global spaces of entertainment. Holidays and media use are short-term therapy spaces, offering time out from daily routines. They have become central pillars of our culture, triggers of cultural change. Experiencing the world through amusement and spectacle is a sign of the times. People want distraction from a world of challenges, where life has become increasingly confusing and violent. With contributions by Kurt Luger.